Envoys at N. Korea Talks Optimistic

SEOUL, South Korea - Envoys to the six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament are sounding rare notes of optimism, raising hopes for progress after their expected return to the bargaining table in coming weeks.

The talks could bring the first steps toward turning back the clock on North Korea's nuclear development since Pyongyang restarted its main nuclear reactor more than four years ago and proved its long-claimed atomic arsenal with its first test explosion in October.

At the last round of the talks in December, the United States and its partners - China, Japan, Russia and South Korea - could not even get North Korea to talk about its nuclear program. Instead, …